Duterte abolishes PNP’s Anti-Drug Unit

President Rodrigo Duterte will abolish all Anti-Illegal Drugs Group units in the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Duterte made the decision because of the gruesome killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo at the hands of the police.

Jee was kidnapped on a fake arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in illegal drugs. Witnesses revealed that the South Korean businessman was strangled to death by SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel inside Camp Crame, the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police.

“We’ll dissolve all PNP anti-illegal drugs units. The PNP will be undergoing cleansing. Bato, look at the members of the police who had cases of extortion and the like but were still reinstated. I would need to deploy more police in Basilan, Zamboanga or Lanao [del Sur],” Duterte said in a news conference held after his command conference with the military and the police.

“The police are corrupt to the core. It is in your system because you are out in the field to enforce the law. There are policemen who look for ways to earn money in the field. At least 40 percent of you are used to corruption,” the President added.

He repeatedly threatened to put a P5 million bounty on the head of Supt. Rafael Dumlao 2nd, one of the policemen linked to Jee’s killing.

His threat, however, rang hollow since PNP Chief dela Rosa informed Duterte that Dumlao is already under the custody of the PNP and has spilled everything about Jee’s killing.

“It’s good that you are under PNP’s custody. After all, you are a lawyer. Otherwise, your wife will be a widow and your children will lose a father. Putangina, papatayin talaga kita (Son of a whore, I will kill you, really),” Duterte said.

The President, however, did not allow dela Rosa to reveal the details of Dumlao’s confession.

He said that the war on illegal drugs will continue until the last day of his term in June 2022.

“I will extend it to the last day of my term. No more March (2017) deadline. When I was bragging that I will stop drugs [in six months], my paradigm was limited to Davao City. When I had access to all the information, it was to my horror that thousands [of drug dependents]are surrendering everyday,” Duterte said.

At least 5,000 drug suspects have already been killed as a result of the bloody drug war. LLANESCA T. PANTI